Major revamp for SM Mall of Asia

SM Mall of Asia is set to revolutionize its look 10 years after it opened in Manila Bay.

The Philippines’ biggest mall will soon house a FIFA World Cup-size soccer field on the mall’s roof deck and a botanical garden. Miami-based firm Arquitectonica will design these.

By the end of the year, an Olympic-size skating rink will also open on the third floor.

Designer furniture will deck a new food hall, in tune with the mall’s modern look.The mall will also adopt a “warmer” look and feel, according to Steven Tan, senior VP for SM Supermalls, with the interior to feature new colour scheme and wooden panelling.

According to Tan, SM Prime president Hans Sy told the design team to give the mall a “wow” factor.

“I’ve seen the perspectives, and the view from up there will be breathtaking. There will be an unobstructed view of the sea and it is beautiful,” Tan said.

SM Mall of Asia has 700 tenants and has an occupancy rate of between 98 per cent and 100 per cent. This has prompted the company to undertake the redevelopment in phases.

Conrad Manila, SM Prime’s deluxe hotel brand, is set to open in June with a new retail podium called S’Maison which will house unique concept stores as well as luxury retail stores, fine dining restaurants and state-of-the-art cinemas.

New brands are also set to come in including Swedish clothing giant H&M which is slated to introduce a 3000 sqm flagship store.

Recently the mall unveiled a 2.7 megawatt “solar car park” in partnership with Solar Philippines, which is nearly twice the size of the 1.5 MW SM North Edsa solar car park. Comprising 10,426 solar panels and 40 inverters, it supplies nearly 20 per cent of the mall’s power needs.

In another development, the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Museum is taking shape to feature the history of the 250-year old global trade route where the Philippines and Mexico played major roles. The museum will highlight the galleon trade’s impact on today’s commerce, banking, travel, and cultural exchange.

SM and SM Prime chairman, Henry Sy, who once called this mall the greatest project of his life, had a vision to build one of the largest malls in Asia which will not just be a shopping complex but a premier destination.

“The mall will be a major Asia Pacific destination,” Sy said at that time.

SM Mall of Asia opened in May 2006 as the flagship development of SM on 60ha of reclaimed land in Pasay City. The mall introduced the first Olympic-size skating rink and the first Imax theatre in the country.